


Saddle Up

by Sheisme



Category: The 100 (TV), clexa - Fandom
Genre: Clexa, Cowgirl Clarke, F/F, Fluff, Humor, Lady of the night Clarke, Outlaw Lexa, Player Lexa, Rancher Clarke, Rowdy good times, Smut, Western, Wild West, gambler lexa, gunslinger Lexa
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-18 17:56:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29372703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sheisme/pseuds/Sheisme
Summary: Lexa Woods is the leader of The Grounders - the most feared gang in the wild west. She's a gambling, whiskey-drinking, gun slinging, train robbing, womanizing outlaw who's a legend in her own time. When she meets Clarke Griffin, a mysterious woman who wants nothing to do with Lexa's shenanigans, that's when the trouble really starts. Clarke is reluctantly pulled into Lexa's drama and the more Lexa learns about Clarke, the more she begins to wonder if it's time to say goodbye to her good-time, hard-partying lifestyle. Because if anyone can tame the infamous Lexa Woods, it would be Clarke Griffin.
Relationships: Clarke Griffin & Lexa, Clarke Griffin/Lexa
Comments: 77
Kudos: 375





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's been too long since I've written a multi-chapter fic, so I'm giving it another go. This is an idea that I had in my notes from long ago and recently came across it, so we'll see how it goes. I plan on having some fun with this fic, so I hope you enjoy it.

It’s nearly midnight, but the drinks are still flowing and the saloon is still bustling. Lexa has been drinking steadily since 6:00pm while hustling the locals at a friendly game of poker. Well, it started out friendly. Now it’s close to turning into a death match since Lexa is up by $200 and her challengers are all out of money - except for one. Cage Wallace places his last bet and throws down the last of his money, calling Lexa out. There is a small crowd gathered around them, desperate to see how this ends. Lexa switches the five cards in her right hand over to her left hand, wiping the sweat off of her palm onto her pants. Yes, she’s nervous, but she doesn’t want Cage Wallace to know that. Casually, she grabs the beaver-skin hat on the table and puts it on her head, trying to appear as cool as possible. She looks past Cage’s right shoulder to the young brunette woman hiding in the corner who has been eyeing Lexa all night. Lexa nods her head while sending her a smile. Cage doesn’t notice, as he’s too focused on his hand. 

The place reeks of alcohol and cigar smoke, but Lexa’s used to it since she’s usually the one drinking everyone under the table. She takes another sip of her whiskey and leans back. 

“Let’s see what you got, Cage.”

Cage lowers his cards onto the table and there’s a collective gasp among the crowd. 

“Full house,” he states with a gritty voice. 

Lexa taps the table with her finger while contemplating his hand. She nods to herself before revealing her hand.

“Straight flush. Sorry, Cage. It’s just not your night.”

The look on Cage’s face is priceless as Lexa gathers her earnings on the table. 

“That’s impossible,” Cage complains. “You have a tell. I’ve been studying you all night and you always nervously take your hat off when you have a bad hand.”

“Do I?” asks Lexa as she puts the last of her winnings in her leather pouch. “Or did I just make you think that’s my tell?”

“You little bitch!” Cage lunges across the table and tries to grab Lexa by the throat, but she is too quick for him. She’s on her feet in a flash and grabs his shoulder, slamming his head down on the table and holding it there, adding more pressure every second. 

“Are we going to have a problem?”

Cage is turning red from the lack of oxygen. He tries to speak, but can’t. Instead, he just shakes his head and Lexa finally lets him go. 

“Simmer down,, Cage. You’re drunk. Go home and sleep it off,” the bartender hollers from behind the bar. 

Cage and his buddies gather up their belongings and leave without much arguing. Lexa’s pretty sure it’s because they know just how dangerous she can be if you piss her off. Over the last couple years, the name Lexa Woods (aka The Commander) has struck fear in the hearts of many who have crossed her path. In her line of work, it’s easy to make enemies, but even harder to gain the respect of those enemies. Lexa has always commanded respect, even from those who hate her. It’s what makes her so good at what she does. Of course, being an outlaw and the leader of The Grounders - the most feared gang in the west - is a double-edged sword. Her legendary stories have made her infamous, and her infamy has made her a wanted woman in many towns. That’s why she and The Grounders never stay in one place for too long. They stay long enough to have some fun and get some money...by any means necessary. It’s safe to say that The Grounders are responsible for several train robberies and bank robberies west of the Mississippi River, but they’re always one step ahead. No amount of sheriffs or posses have been able to catch them. 

Lexa finishes her drink and pays her tab. She gives a wink to the brunette in the corner before thanking the bartender and asking him rather loudly how to get to the Diamond Hill Hotel from here. She pretends to listen as he gives her directions, but she’s already been staying there while the rest of The Grounders have either been camping on the outskirts of town, holed up at other inns or even spending their nights at the local brothel. Lexa and Anya, her second in command, are the only ones staying at Diamond Hill while they’re in town. And Lexa wants the brunette in the corner to know exactly which hotel she’s going to be at tonight. Just in case the woman wants to stop by for a drink or something. She gives the woman one final tip of her hat before leaving.

\--

“You look like death warmed over. How drunk are you?” asks Anya when she opens the door to her room and greets Lexa.

Lexa tosse the leather pouch onto Anya’s bed and removes her hat to run her hand through her long, braided hair. 

“I’ve been drunker. Here’s tonight’s winnings. Should cover us for a few more days here.”

“Were they pissed off losing to a girl?” Anya takes the pouch and starts counting the money. 

“Of course. But I handled it. Besides, it’s not my fault they suck at poker.”

Anya tosses her a canteen of water.

“Drink some of this and try to sober up before tomorrow. Lincoln drew up the plans for our next heist. He and Roan have been casing the place for the last three days. Should be an easy job. It’s about thirty miles north of here. It’s an outpost set up in the middle of nowhere, but they do good business. The only person we would have coming after us is the proprietor, but he’s an old man. He won’t give too much chase. We can ride there in the morning, pull off the job, and be back here before sunset.”

“Great. Inform everyone tomorrow that we’ll ride at 5am the next day. And after that, we’ll meet at the next town over. I don’t want to come back here. What’s the next town, Polis?

“Yeah, Polis.”

“All right, I’m heading to bed. See you in the morning.”

“Try to actually get some sleep, Commander.”

“I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”

It’s not a threat. It’s simply a running joke between the two. Anya worries about Lexa and always gets on her about getting a decent night’s sleep. Lexa always responds with some variation of “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” Lexa had too much life to experience and you can’t experience life when you’re asleep.

Lexa closes Anya’s door and walks down the hall to her room, which she notices is ajar. She puts her hand on her gun, which is hanging from the holster on the right side of her hip, and pushes the door open. It creaks loudly and the sound of her boots on the wooden floor make it impossible for her to be discreet. She slowly walks in and instead of a dangerous intruder or marauder trying to seek revenge, Lexa is pleasantly surprised at what she finds: the cute brunette from the bar, naked in her bed.

“I hope you don’t mind. The innkeeper let me in. I told him you were expecting me.”

“I don’t mind at all, ma’am.” Lexa smiles, sheds her boots, drops her holster along with her pants and kicks the door shut. She definitely won’t be getting much sleep tonight and based on Lexa’s sexual history, Anya will likely be hearing proof of that very shortly. 

\--

Sleep finally does come for Lexa after her fun romp with the woman she found naked in her bed, but not until 9am the next morning. She would have slept most of the day away if it weren’t for the incessant pounding on her door. She figures it’s probably about noon and hasn’t slept nearly enough. She tosses and turns, even pulling the pillow over her head to block out the sound. She was far too spent and too hungover for this. The banging only grows louder and louder and it isn’t until the other occupant in her bed shoots up and gasps that Lexa fully wakes up.

“What is it?” asks Lexa.

More banging comes from the other side of the door, followed by a man with a booming voice yelling, “Alie, I know you’re in there! Now come out!”

The woman looks at Lexa sheepishly. “That’s my husband.”

Lexa rolls her eyes and jumps out of bed. “Yeah, I was afraid of that.”

She throws her clothes on as quickly as she can, tripping over her pants while doing so. She’s usually more graceful than this, but she’s tired, hungover and has a potentially very large man about to break down her door. The other woman doesn’t seem as concerned with making herself decent. It’s almost as if she’s done this before and is used to her husband knocking on doors looking for her. When Lexa finally has everything but her boots on, she opens the door only to be greeted by a big-bellied man with a silver star shaped badge on his shirt. She slams the door in his face and turns to the woman.

“Your husband is the sheriff?”

The woman nods, leaving Lexa to ponder her next move. This room isn’t equipped with a window, so that’s not an option. She only has one choice. She takes the woman’s hand and places a kiss on top of it. 

“Thank you for your company last night, beautiful. Unfortunately, I have to bid you farewell. Good luck with your husband.”

Lexa then turns and opens the door, sprinting out immediately with her boots in her hand. She manages to get past him and runs down the hall before someone grabs her out of nowhere and pulls her into another room. She’s about to put up a fight before she realizes it’s Anya. 

“God damn it, Lexa! Again?”

“Hey, it’s not my fault when they fail to tell me they’re married!”

“Can’t you just assume that they are and keep it in your pants?”

Lexa smirks. “Now what kind of outlaw would I be if I followed the rules?”

“One who wouldn’t have a target on her back from the town sheriff.” Anya grabs Lexa’s leather pouch and tosses it to her. “I took out what we’ll need to pull off the job. You take the rest for now and go out the window here. Your horse is out front. Ride as fast as you can.”

Lexa looks at the window in Anya’s room as her saving grace. She throws on her boots before opening the window. She can hear the sheriff pounding on each door and he’s getting closer by the minute. She looks back at Anya.

“You take the lead in the stick-up tomorrow. I need to lay low for the night. Tell the Grounders we’ll meet up in Polis once the job is done.”

Anya nods and Lexa knows she won’t let her down. She hops out of the window onto the small balcony, then crawls over the balcony’s edge and dangles from it for a moment while mentally preparing herself for the fall. At least it’s only the second story she’s hanging from and a broken leg would be much better than a bullet. She drops to the ground with a thud, thankfully without hurting herself, then gets up and dusts herself off. She wasn’t expecting the sun to be so bright, but didn’t have time to waste trying to adjust her eyes to it. 

“Nightblood!” She calls out and turns the corner. “Nightblood?”

Suddenly, a majestic looking black horse appears and Lexa smiles at the sight.

“There you are. Come on, let’s ride!”

She hops onto the saddle and Nightblood takes off running. She chances a quick glance behind her and sees the sheriff, his deputy, and a few others, including Cage Wallace, jumping on their horses to chase after her. She turns and focuses on the land ahead, trying to put as much distance between herself and the men chasing her. They won’t stand a chance against Nightblood.

This isn’t the first time she’s pissed off a man for bedding his wife, but this is definitely the first time it was a sheriff’s wife. There’s no way in hell she can ever go back to that town, which is fine with her. Lexa has never really been one to return to the scene of a crime. Nightblood’s gallop turns into a sprint and Lexa gets lost in the rhythmic sounds of his hooves on the ground. 

\--

Lexa rides for what feels like hours. It’s hot and dusty and she’s tired and thirsty. Plus, she hasn’t eaten anything since yesterday. She knows the men chasing her had already given up, so when she spots a small ranch off in the distance, she decides to stop and take a little break there. And if someone happened to be home and maybe offer her a bite to eat, she definitely wouldn’t say no.

As she approaches, she sees that the house and land are actually bigger than they appear from a distance. This is the first sign of civilization she had seen all day and she knows it’s at least another couple hours until Polis. The sun will be setting soon, so this might be her only chance for refuge. 

She dismounts her horse and ties him up to the fence post, then opens the gate and approaches slowly with her hands up, knowing it’s easy to get shot for trespassing around here. In the distance, she sees a couple of cows and some horses. And she hears chickens clucking somewhere on the property, so she knows the place isn’t abandoned. When she approaches the house, she looks through the front window first, but doesn’t see anyone. She knocks on the door and waits, but no one comes. She knocks one more time.

“Hello? Anyone home?”

When there’s still no answer, she turns the doorknob and finds that it’s unlocked, so she invites herself in. The main room is dimly lit, but fairly clean. The floorboards beneath her feet could use some work, but everything else looks well put-together. There’s a comfortable looking chair with a blanket near the window, a large dark leather couch along the wall, and a wood-burning stove in the far corner. If she were to ever settle down, which was never going to happen, she could see herself living in a place like this. It’s not fancy, but humble and cozy.

Lexa knows she should be worried about getting caught being there, but if someone happens to come home, she can explain everything. For now, she starts foraging for food, finding some unmarked cans on the shelves in the corner and a couple of bags of dried jerky. She notices a plate covered with a cloth and lifts it up to find a batch of biscuits. She grabs one and shoves it in her mouth, only chewing when necessary. She takes another one and puts it in her satchel, along with the jerky. 

She opens up a few more cabinets, looking for any other essentials she might need, but freezes the moment she hears the familiar cock of a shotgun behind her. She turns around, mouth still stuffed with the biscuit, and comes face-to-face with a shotgun barrel and a very pissed off, but gorgeous-looking blonde. Lexa drops her satchel, spits out the biscuit, and holds up her hands.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” she assures the blonde.

“I know you’re not. Because I’m gonna kill you before you get the chance.”


	2. Chapter 2

They’re in the middle of a staredown - Lexa with her hands still in the air and the woman with the shotgun still intent on shooting her. Lexa knows she is the one at a disadvantage here, but she thinks about her chances on how fast she can draw her gun. She starts to lower her hand to grab it, but the blonde is too quick and pulls it out of her holster before pointing it directly at Lexa. The fact that this woman is holding a heavy shotgun with one hand and Lexa’s pistol with the other is quite impressive and Lexa somehow finds her even more attractive, despite the fact that she’s about to die by this woman’s hands with a bullet from her own gun.

Lexa backs up as far as she can, trying to show she’s not a threat. The woman steps forward, not showing any signs of wavering, and finally speaks. 

“You have five seconds to explain why you’re here. No lies.”

Lexa believes her, so she tells the truth. “I’m on the run. There are some angry men after me and I needed to take shelter before they caught up with me.”

“Did you kill somebody?”

“Not this time, no. Honest. Just a misunderstanding. I...took some things that belonged to them.”

“So you’re a thief.”

“Of hearts,” Lexa quips, “and sometimes money, yes. But I promise I’m not here to steal anything. I just need to lay low for a bit.”

The blonde ponders Lexa’s words. Her deep blue eyes are steely and intense. She lowers her shotgun, but keeps Lexa’s gun pointed at her. She steps closer to Lexa, backing her up against the wall and aiming the pistol to her head, merely inches from her face. She looks Lexa up and down. Normally Lexa wouldn’t stand for someone being so invasive and threatening to her, but for this woman, Lexa will allow it. The longer the blonde puts off shooting her, the less likely she’ll actually fire the gun. Lexa likes those odds. She takes a chance and flashes her a disarming smile and it seems to work. Literally. The woman lowers the pistol, but stays right up in Lexa’s face. Lexa can feel her breath hot on her face.

“If you even attempt to harm me or rob me in any way…”

“I won’t.”

She brings the gun back up again and puts her finger on the trigger. “I don’t like being interrupted,” she warns.

Lexa puts her hands up higher.

“Yes, ma’am. My apologies.”

After a beat, the woman lowers the gun again.

“As I was saying...if you harm me or rob me or really do anything to piss me off, I won’t hesitate to shoot you next time.” She steps back and hands the pistol back to Lexa as a sign of trust. “I know it’s not easy being a woman in these parts, so I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. But you understand why I need to protect myself and my home.”

Lexa nods and lowers her hands to put her pistol back in the holster. 

“I have a barn out back. You can hide there until morning. Grab some food and water to go. I’m Clarke, by the way. Clarke Griffin.”

Lexa removes her hat and places it over her heart while bowing her head to Clarke.

“Much obliged, ma’am. My name is Lexa.”

Clarke reaches out her hand, which Lexa gladly takes. Clarke lets go far too soon for Lexa’s liking, but it’s clear this woman has no time for bull shit. 

“I’ll bring your horse into the stable for the night and feed him. The barn should be warm enough for you. I don’t want to see you inside my house again, or I will fire a warning shot through your head, understand that?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Lexa relaxes a bit until Clarke grabs her pistol once again.

“You’re here for the night. It’s not safe to ride in the dark, so I’ll leave this out on the porch at first light so you can grab it and be on your way.”

“How am I supposed to defend myself if I need to?”

“Simple. Don’t do stupid shit that gets you into trouble and forces you to take up shelter in a barn.”

Lexa reaches her hand out and lowers the shotgun slowly. She’s kind of surprised Clarke actually lets her do it. 

“That’s fair. I’ll head to the barn. Thank you again, ma’am. I apologize for the inconvenience.”

Clarke watches her leave, her finger never leaving the shotgun’s trigger until Lexa is out of sight. 

\--

Lexa hears the front door shut and lock behind her. She feels more on edge than she normally does without her trusty pistol at her side, but she understands why Clarke took it, especially if Clarke knows who Lexa is, but she didn’t notice any sign of recognition coming from Clarke, so it’s hard to say. She finds the barn and opens the small door on the side before stepping in and closing it behind her.

The first thing Lexa notices is the smell. It stinks to high heaven in here, but this certainly isn’t the worst place she’s had to sleep in. And at least there’s a roof over her head. There are chickens to her left and one lone cow to her right. She contemplates trying to lure it out of there to join its friends, but she’s too tired and the cow was here first. She looks around for the most comfortable area where she can sleep and finds a pile of hay in the corner. It looks relatively clean, but Lexa knows she’s going to need a bath at some point tomorrow. She takes off her hat and jacket, lays the jacket down to sleep on. She keeps her boots on, that way she can be ready in case she needs to make a quick getaway. 

She lies down on her back, puts her hands behind her head and looks up at the ceiling. There’s a small hole in the roof where she can see that the sun has already set and the stars are coming out. She thinks about last night and how her actions nearly got her killed or arrested...yet again. But the thrill of it all would have made it all worth it. She thinks about The Grounders and how they’ll do with holding up the outpost tomorrow. She knows Anya has it under control, but she still worries about them, especially since she’s not able to be there to protect them in case something goes wrong. 

But mostly, she thinks about Clarke. Her long blonde hair, her deep blue eyes, her supple bosom that was obvious underneath her modest dress. Lexa wants to break her word and go back into the house to thank Clarke properly in her own special way for letting her stay overnight. She even listens for a husband or any gentleman callers Clarke might have, but so far there hasn’t been anybody, which is surprising to Lexa because Clarke is unquestionably beautiful. Far too beautiful to be all alone in this place. And that’s something that intrigues Lexa and makes her want to know more about this alluring woman.

Lexa is tired and her muscles ache. It’s not long before she falls asleep after deciding to respect Clarke’s wishes and staying put. She doesn’t know how long she’s been asleep before she hears the barn door open and close quietly and hears footsteps coming toward her. Lexa shoots her head up ready to flee, but sighs in relief when she can see Clarke’s dimly lit face against the lantern she’s holding. Lexa closes her eyes and pretends to be sound asleep, curious what the woman is doing here. 

Lexa can see an orange tint behind her eyes and knows that Clarke is shining her lantern toward her. She remains as still as possible and wonders why Clarke is still here. The orange fades to a darker red color and Lexa takes a chance, squinting one eye open to see Clarke moving to sit on a hay bale right near where she is sleeping. She has something in her hands, but Lexa closes her eyes before she can see what it is. 

She remains calm. She’s pretty sure if Clarke was going to kill her, she would have done so by now, so Lexa just waits. It’s another few minutes until she hears Clarke stand up, then she feels a breeze over her before she’s covered in a blanket. Lexa tries to suppress a smile once she finds out Clarke’s purpose for coming in here is to make sure she’s comfortable. She feels Clarke standing directly over her for a few more minutes before she walks away and leaves the barn. Lexa opens her eyes and looks down at the blanket. It’s soft and warm and she pulls it up to her chin before falling back to sleep. 

Early the next morning, Lexa is up and dressed and leaves the folded up blanket on Clarke’s porch, where she also finds her gun, some food and some water. There’s also a note that says: “For your journey. Good luck and stay out of trouble. And don’t come back.”

Lexa grins. She would take that as a challenge, but she finds that she has way too much respect for this woman to deny her request. She pockets the note, packs up her stuff and jumps on her horse to ride into Polis. As she rides away, she’s pretty sure she catches a glimpse of someone with long blonde hair watching her leave from the window. 

\--

Lexa takes her time riding to Polis. She knows The Grounders won’t be meeting her until late in the evening. She even has time to stop at the river to get cleaned up. She gives Nightblood some food and water before shedding her clothes and jumping into the cold river. The icy water pricks her skin like tiny needles until she finally gets used to the temperature. With the sun overhead, the cold water is soon welcomed. Thankful that she packed some soap in her bag, she takes the time to wash her face and her hair, hoping she’ll be able to follow this with a much warmer bath at some point when she gets to town. For now, this will do, plus it’s quite refreshing. Once she dries off, she puts her clothes back on and jumps back on Nightblood to ride the rest of the way to Polis. 

Once she gets to town, she looks around for any familiar faces, but knows it’s still too early for any of the gang to show up, so she hitches her horse outside the local hotel, where she’s supposed to meet with Anya later. She heads across the road to the Onyx Saloon with every intention of drinking until nightfall. If Anya can’t find her at the hotel, she knows Lexa well enough to find her at the local watering hole. 

Lexa steps in with her usual confident swagger. Her eyes give nothing away, her shoulders back, but not rigid, her gait leading with her hips. Only a few people look up from their drinks to see who the new patron is, but most don’t seem to notice or care. She looks around for anyone who might be up for a good time - be it men looking to play cards or women looking to just play. She looks up and sees a second floor with a row of doors that seemingly lead to different rooms, and then she remembers. The Onyx is famous for their drinks and for their upstairs brothel, rumored to be home to some of the most gorgeous women in the west...and the most expensive. 

Never having had to pay for sex, Lexa wasn’t all the interested in the goings on upstairs. For now, she sets her sights on the group of men playing a game of poker in the corner. She orders a whiskey from the bar and sidles up to them.

“Need a fifth?”

One of the men looks at her dubiously, then shrugs.

“Twenty dollar buy-in.”

Lexa puts twenty dollars on the table and sits down between an old man with a pipe who looks like he’s near death and a younger gentleman with a scar on his cheek who reeks of alcohol and body odor. She hopes that the smoke in the air can dull the smell. 

Lexa doesn’t say much. She has no intention of getting to know these men on any level except for taking their money. And she succeeds beautifully. As the evening goes on and the drinks keep flowing, she can already see the anger building up in each of them, except for the old man. He just seems content to be alive. But the man with the scar starts showing his rage when he angrily throws his glass against the wall after losing yet another hand to Lexa. For her part, Lexa remains calm and collected. She’s seen much bigger men with much worse tempers. 

Hours later it’s dark outside. She asks the old man for the time and realizes it’s time to wrap things up and be on the lookout for the gang. 

“Gentlemen, it’s been a pleasure. I must retire for the evening.” The two men opposite her nod, but say nothing. The old man tips his hat. 

Once Lexa gathers her winnings, the man with the scar flips the table on the other two players while Lexa stands clear of it and the old man just keeps sitting and smoking his pipe. 

Lexa tries to assuage the man. “Hey, it wasn’t your night. It’s gambling. We all win, we all lose. It’s just the luck of the draw.”

Apparently, that was not the right thing to say because in an instant, he jumps on Lexa and throws her to the ground, pulls out a knife and holds it to her throat. Lexa tries to wrestle the knife away, but he has too strong of a hold on her. This could get ugly. Lexa is sure her throat will be slit, but then a swift kick to the guy’s stomach comes out of nowhere and he flinches and moans, letting go of Lexa. She looks up to her right and sees the old man standing over them.

“Take your losses like a man, you jackass,” he mumbles.

Lexa smiles at him and moves to get up quickly, but not before the man with the scar recovers and swipes at her with the knife. Lexa feels a shooting pain in her left arm and winces. That’s when the other two men who were at the table grab him and start escorting him out. He resists them and tries to come at Lexa again, but she’s saved once more by a complete stranger who takes her hand and leads her up the stairs. 

Before she knows it, Lexa is behind one of the doors upstairs, led there by a red-headed angel. At least, she thinks she’s an angel. Lexa is quite drunk and can’t see straight. The room is spinning and she’s in pain. 

She’s seated gently on the bed and sees a beautiful woman standing over her. Blue eyes, long red hair, and with this lighting, it looks like she’s shrouded in a halo.

“Are you an angel?” Lexa asks in a daze.

“Shhh. Let me see your arm. We need to get it bandaged up. I need to take this off,” she says, referring to Lexa’s shirt. “Is that okay?”

Lexa nods. “Anything for you, angel.”

“I’m not an angel.” The woman chuckles as she unbuttons Lexa’s shirt and removes it, leaving her in a short-sleeved undershirt. She begins dressing Lexa’s wound, cleaning and bandaging it. 

“If you’re not an angel, then who are you? I thought only angels were this beautiful.”

“I work here.” She wraps the bandage a little tighter than she needs to, causing Lexa to whimper in pain.

“Ouch! Go gentle on me. I’ve been stabbed.”

“So I see.”

“Why is the room spinning?”

“Because you’re drunk and bleeding. Just lie down and relax. Sleep it off.”

“Mmmm...wait.” Lexa looks up at her. She’s still blurry, but also still beautiful. “You work up here? Like...on the second floor?”

“Yes. I work up here. Like…on the second floor. Why? You interested?”

Lexa tries to be seductive - as much as she can with half open eyes and a drunken smirk.

“Normally I don’t pay for my rolls in the hay, but I think I can make an exception for you, angel.”

The red-head is not amused. “I probably cost far more than you have in your pockets.”

“Wanna bet?” Lexa clumsily digs through her pockets and pulls out a wad of cash, waving it in front of the woman’s face.

The red-head’s eyes go wide as she steps closer to Lexa, slowly kneels down and starts taking Lexa’s boots off. Expecting her to take off her pants next, Lexa hands her the money, but the woman pushes it back and shakes her head. She then moves Lexa’s feet up onto the bed and covers her with the blanket. 

“Keep your money and get some sleep.”

Lexa’s head falls back on the pillow and her eyes immediately close.

“But I was gonna rock your world. I kinda had my heart set on seeing you naked.”

“Sorry to disappoint you. Good night.” 

She opens the door to leave when Lexa asks her to wait.

She pauses at the door and turns. “Yes?”

“Thank you for fixing me. What’s your name?”

There’s a brief pause before the woman answers.

“You can call me Wanheda.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can follow me on tumblr @sheis-me


	3. Chapter 3

When Lexa wakes up, her head is throbbing. She slowly reaches her arm out next to her, but doesn’t feel anything. She squints her eyes open and doesn’t see anyone in the bed with her. Usually when she wakes up in a fog, there’s a girl in bed next to her, but not this morning. She’s not sure why, but she actually feels grateful for that. She rubs her head as the memories of the previous night come flooding back to her. The poker game, the subsequent stabbing, being rescued by an angel named Wanheda. She glances around the room, but Wanheda isn’t here. 

However, there is a young brunette woman sitting quite comfortably in a chair and reading a book that looks like it’s about to fall apart. 

“Hello?”

“Mornin’,” the woman responds, but doesn’t look up from her book. 

“Is...um...do you know...is Wanheda here?”

“She went home. But not before she woke my ass up to tell me I have to watch over you to make sure you’re okay. She’ll kick my butt if I don’t make sure you drink plenty of water, so drink up. It’s on the table.”

Lexa reaches over for the glass of water and drinks the entire thing.

“I’m Lexa.” 

“Raven.”

Lexa waits for a follow up remark from the woman, but she doesn’t get one. “So, she went home? Does she live in town?”

Raven laughs and finally closes her book. “She said you’d probably ask me that. And I am not at liberty to divulge any personal information about any of the girls here.”

“Are you the one in charge?”

“No, that would be Miss Niylah. But she won’t tell you, either. She was actually kind of pissed that you took up one of our rooms without paying, so Wanheda covered your tab. And we usually rent out the rooms by the hour, so it wasn’t cheap.”

“That was very nice of her. I’ll have to pay her back.”

Raven gets up to leave. “Well, I’ve never seen her dote over a complete stranger the way she did you. Anyway, you’re alive and awake and my job is complete. I’m going back to bed. Stay out of trouble there, cowgirl.”

Lexa quickly gets dressed and opens the door only to find Anya on the other side of it, shaking her head in disappointment. 

“How did I know I’d find you here?”

“Sorry. I ran into some trouble last night.” 

“Looks like it.” Anya points to the bandage on Lexa’s arm.

Lexa smiles to herself at the memory of Wanheda bandaging her up.

“Who’s the girl?” asks Anya.

“Huh?”

“I know that smile. Who’s the girl?”

“Shut up, Anya.” She elbows her in the ribs. “But if you’re looking for a girl, there’s a firecracker upstairs named Raven who I think you’ll like very much.”

“I’m good, thanks.”

They walk in tandem down the stairs and step outside, the bright sun blazing down on them. Lexa puts on her hat to block out the sun. “How did everything go yesterday?”

“Everything went as planned. We cleaned them out and no one got injured. It’s not as much as we initially thought we’d get. Pretty sure he was hiding money somewhere, but he refused to say where.”

“How much did we get?”

“Five hundred.”

“That’s it? That wasn’t even worth the trip over there for you guys. What the hell are we supposed to do with five hundred?”

“Add it to what we have, then regroup and move on to the next job.”

They both mount their horses and ride to another saloon on the other side of town, where Anya arranged for a private meeting with The Grounders. They can discuss logistics and not be bothered by anyone. When they arrive and walk in, Lexa can see her gang is already a few drinks in.

“Any ideas for the next job?” Lexa asks Anya.

“There’s a train coming in from the north that we can meet up far enough out of this town. We could hop on, threaten a few passengers, collect money and jewelry, and then ride back to Polis without anyone knowing it was us.”

Lexa nods. “That’s an option. Any other options?”

“Yeah, how about our so-called ‘leader’ actually joining us on a job instead of getting chased out of town and running like a coward,” Titus, the Grounders’ most ornery member, stands up and drunkenly challenges Lexa.

The rest of the gang goes silent and none of them can look Lexa - or Titus - in the eyes.

Lexa feels her demeanor change instantly. She takes off her hat, runs her fingers through her hair and throws the hat down on the table. She glares at Titus and steps toward him. He looks around the group to see if anyone will take his side, then sits down and lowers his head when no one speaks up.

“Do you have a problem with the way I run this gang, Titus?”

“I just think…”

“You’re not supposed to think. Anya and I do the thinking for you. Do you have an issue answering to my second-in-command?”

“No.”

“So then me not being there really had no effect on the situation, did it?”

Titus shakes his head. 

Lexa moves behind him and grabs the six-shooter from his holster, taking a page out of the ol’ “Clarke Griffin Book of Threats.” She releases the latch and sees there are three bullets in the gun. She spins the cylinder, locking in the chamber and cocking the gun before pointing it directly at his head.

“Does anyone here agree with Titus?”

Titus looks around again, as if expecting one of the dozen others to come to his defense, but no one says a word. 

“I’m sorry, Commander. I think I’m just frustrated by how little we pulled in from the outpost robbery.”

“My presence there wouldn’t have gotten us any more money. However, the research on the outpost was obviously lacking. I believe that you were one of the ones in charge of observation and informed me that we could get at least a thousand from them, is that correct?”

“Yes, Commander.” 

Lexa turns his chair around to face her and he finally looks up at her, his gun pointed right between his eyes. He breathes a sigh of relief when she releases the trigger and hands the gun back to him. He takes it and Lexa can’t help but feel a strong sense of power when she notices the tremor in his hand.

“Forgive me, Commander. We just feel that your exploits might get us into trouble.”

Lexa lunges at him and pulls him up by the collar as her eyes turn a dark shade of green.

“Do I get on your ass about you spending most of your earnings on women and cheap booze? And what you don’t spend on that, you gamble away!”

Titus looks down, as if he knows what he’s about to say next will be the end of him, but Lexa knows how stubborn he is.

“You gamble, too,” he says in a whisper.

Instead of getting angry, Lexa lets go of his collar and laughs. 

“Well, you got me there, but the difference between you and me, Titus, is that I’m actually good at it. And I win. A lot.” 

She steps back and thinks for a moment, then looks over at Anya, who nods in approval.

“I’ll tell you what. I promise you that you won’t have to worry about my exploits anymore, okay?”

Titus looks up at her, genuinely shocked at her response.

“Really?”

“Of course. Because you’re out.”

“What?”

“You heard me. You’re out of the gang. You’re no longer a Grounder. Lincoln will see you out and Anya will pay you your earnings from yesterday.”

Titus stands up and pleads with Lexa. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m really sorry. Please give me one more chance.”

“Why should I?”

He starts stumbling over his words before he can get out what he’s actually trying to say. “I...there’s...Lincoln and I…there’s a bank south of here, in Arkadia. It’s half a day’s travel, but the prospects are good.”

“How good?” asks Anya. “And why haven’t you told me about it?”

“Five thousand minimum. Lincoln and I heard a couple of gentlemen talking about their investments. They mentioned this one bank. And by gentlemen...they were real stuffy, you know? Like...rich.”

Lexa looks over to Lincoln. “Is this true?”

Lincoln shrugs. “We did hear them talking about it. I think it could be worth a shot.”

Lexa pauses for a moment, genuinely considering this new information. 

“Fine. Titus, you have one more chance.”

“Thank you, Commander. Thank you.”

“And you’ll be taking a pay cut. Don’t make me regret this.”

“I won’t.”

“I want you and Lincoln to ride out there tonight with two others. Whoever volunteers. First thing tomorrow, you study everything and map out the entire bank. Watch the tellers, the customers, where they keep the cash. We’ll ride out at first light and meet you there before the bank closes to go over the plan. That way most people will be gone by then, but most of the money won’t be taken back to the vault yet.”

Titus, Lincoln, Gustus and Nyko leave immediately to ride through the night to Arkadia. 

Lexa dismisses the rest so they can all get some sleep and head out at sunrise. But she doesn’t sleep. Instead, she lies awake in bed thinking of piercing blue eyes. She feels a longing inside of her that she hasn’t felt in years - maybe ever. And it scares her to her core. 

\--

After a long, grueling ride south to Arkadia, Lexa and the Grounders finally reach their destination before sunset, and thankfully before the bank closes. Lincoln greets them and leads them all to a small shack on the outskirts. It’s not big enough for them to fit inside, but it does block all of them as they circle up behind the shack and go over the plan for the robbery. 

Everyone knows their job, where they need to be and the timing of it all. Two of them will act as lookouts. Two of them remain behind the shack to take care of the horses, two will run interference in case they see any law enforcement anywhere. The other six will split up - three coming in through the back of the bank and three will walk through the front door. 

Lexa, Anya, and Lincoln stand outside the front. The giant “Arkadian Bank” sign almost taunts her and once they walk in (one at a time so as not to arouse suspicion), Lexa can say without a doubt that this is the nicest bank she’s ever had the pleasure of robbing.

There is one customer left, so they hang back until he leaves. Lexa takes a deep breath and feels her heart pounding, the way it always does before a big heist. Once the last customer is out the door, Lexa nods at Anya and Lincoln. They close the door, cover their faces with bandanas and pull their guns. Lexa fires one warning shot into the air so Titus, Gustus, and Nyko know that it’s time to come in from the back. Once all six of them have the three tellers surrounded, the robbery runs like clockwork - no different than they had done it before.

The warning shot is always a risk, considering someone else might hear it coming from the bank, but if the rest of the gang does their job, it won’t be an issue. 

The bank tellers cooperate and are nearly done filling the bags with cash when Lexa hears some sort of commotion coming from the back room. That’s when she realizes Titus is gone. She turns to Anya.

“Finish this up. I’ll see what’s going on back there.”

Lexa runs past the tellers to the back room and sees Titus holding a gun to a man’s head.

“What’s going on? Who is this?”

“I heard this son of a bitch trying to escape. He’s the manager, but he refuses to open the vault for me.”

Lexa shakes her head. “Let him go. We got what we need.”

“Are you serious? There’s so much more money hidden away. I know it. And he knows it. That’s why he won’t open it.”

The manager looks terrified and Lexa has always preferred a threatening, but non-violent approach to their robberies. Guns were necessary as a form of fear, but the only time it’s okay to shoot someone is if it is absolutely necessary for survival. The Grounders know this. Titus knows this. He also knows that no one is allowed to go rogue under any circumstances. 

“You need to let him go.”

“Not until he gives us the rest of the money.”

Lexa cocks her pistol and points it at Titus. 

“Let him go or I will make you.”

At this time, the manager reaches for his pocket and Titus tightens his grip on him and puts the gun directly against his head.

“Not so fast there, buddy.”

The manager holds up a key. “I just wanted to give you this. It’s for the vault. Please...take what you want. Just don’t kill me.”

Titus grabs the key and smiles maliciously at Lexa. 

“See? It just took a little bit of cajoling. Now it’s time for a windfall.” He walks towards the vault, but stops and turns around. “Or right. Almost forgot something.”

He shoots the bank manager in the chest, then turns the gun to Lexa. She ducks and the bullet grazes her bandaged arm. She feels an instant sting. Instead of trying to shoot her again, Titus goes to open the vault and Lexa checks on the manager. Unfortunately, it’s clear he died instantly. She has no time to process any of this and runs out to the front of the bank. The other four are ready to go, but when they run out the front door, the two lookouts are giving the signal that they’ve been found out. Everyone starts running towards the shack as fast as they can. She tells them all to split up and they will all meet back in Polis in three days. That should be long enough to take the heat off of them. 

She gives one bag of money to Anya and tells Lincoln to take the other one as the two of them ride off in different directions. Unfortunately, Titus has the third one, which is probably now also filled with the vault money. The rest of the gang has mounted up and are starting to scatter as the sheriff and deputies try to chase them down. Lexa doesn’t see Titus anywhere and knows it’s a huge risk, but she remains behind the shack until she sees him. Finally, she spots him running towards the shack, but before he can reach his horse, Lexa pulls out her gun and shoots him in the leg.

Titus falls to the ground and screams as Lexa leans down from her horse and grabs the bag of cash from him. She slaps his horse on the flank and the horse takes off running without Titus.

“Good luck out-running the sheriff now. Oh, and if you rat on us, you’re dead. You have no idea the pain I will inflict on you.”

Lexa leaves him there to hopefully get caught by someone as she rides away. The sun has set and she’s hoping the rest of the Grounders got away. For now, she just focuses on riding as fast as Nightblood will go and putting plenty of miles between herself and Arkadia. She doesn’t even stop to make camp at night. Thankfully, the moon is bright enough to light her way. Regardless of how exhausted she is, she keeps riding. She thinks of Titus and his betrayal. She thinks of the bank manager and his poor family. She thinks of how stupid she was to even give Titus a second chance. She thinks of Wanheda and her kindness. She thinks of Clarke and her hospitality. Her beauty. Her bravery. Her fortitude. 

She gets lost in thoughts of Clarke and it’s then she realizes exactly where she’s going. It’s really the only place she can go. Granted, Clarke might just make good on her threat and shoot her the second Lexa steps on her property, but it would be better than getting caught with all this money and going to jail. 

She rides until the dawn breaks and the sky starts to lighten up again. The sun is just starting to rise when Lexa arrives at Clarke’s ranch. Her arm is throbbing now that the adrenaline has faded, but she’s able to tie Nightblood to a post. She approaches the gate, looking around for any signs of Clarke before she steps onto the property. She walks slowly and keeps her hands up as she approaches the house. She keeps as quiet as possible, but hears the sound of a horse running behind her. Thinking the sheriff actually caught up to her, Lexa starts running as fast as she can around the side of the house and back toward the barn. She looks back to see if anyone is there and finds that it was just one of Clarke’s horses that was running behind her, likely going to greet Nightblood. 

Lexa tries to slow down when she turns back around and slams right into Clarke, knocking her to the ground and falling right on top of her. To make matters worse, Lexa falls face first right into Clarke’s cleavage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, the next chapter (and all subsequent chapters) will mainly have Clexa interacting. I just had to set up the story a bit. Let me know in the comments what you think so far. Also, you can follow me on tumblr @sheis-me


	4. Chapter 4

It’s dark, soft, and warm and for a moment, Lexa forgets exactly where she is or what just happened. That is until she hears a very angry voice. 

“What the hell!” Clarke sounds like she had the wind knocked out of her. “Get off me, you creep!”

That’s all it takes for Lexa to realize the inappropriate position they’re in. She’s thrown from Clarke’s body and even though it hurts, she has to admit she’s kind of impressed with her strength. She would comment on it if she weren’t so embarrassed about the situation.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you.” Lexa rolls over and stands up.

“Oh really?” Clarke gets up and dusts herself off. “Because it looks like you were aiming right for the goodies.”

It takes Clarke a moment to realize just who is standing in front of her. Her eyes immediately narrow.

“What the hell are you doing here? I thought I told you to never come back.”

“You did. But I had no choice.”

“You absolutely had a choice. Now get off my property.”

Lexa stands there, unsure of how to delicately approach the matter. She’s desperate for a place to stay, but she can’t let Clarke know that. And she’s not exactly in a place to argue with her after the way she just slammed into her and knocked her over. She lowers her eyes to the ground and decides to take the honesty route.

“I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

“What’s the matter? Have no friends willing to take you in? I can’t possibly imagine why.”

“Why are you always so antagonistic toward me?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because you’ve now disrupted my life and unlawfully trespassed on my property twice. And this time with your face in my boobs.”

“I promise you that was not intentional.”

“Well, it seems trouble follows you wherever you go.”

“You barely know me.”

“I’ve seen enough to know the truth.”

Lexa is starting to get frustrated. As much as she wants to respect Clarke, she doesn’t like the way Clarke is disrespecting her. It seems Clarke has already made up her mind about Lexa and nothing can be done to change her attitude. 

“Fine. I’ll go. I really am sorry.” Lexa grabs her bad arm and starts to walk away defeated. 

“Hold on a second. What is that?”

Lexa stops and turns around. “What?”

Clarke reaches out and grabs Lexa’s hand and pulls her closer. Lexa is quite shocked at this turn of events, but she happily moves closer to Clarke. That’s when Clarke pulls up Lexa’s sleeve and examines the fresh wound. Lexa looks down at it and blushes slightly. 

“Oh...yeah. I sort of got a knife to my arm.”

Clarke nods in empathy before returning to her stoicism. “No doubt deserved.”

“I was an innocent victim. Well, it was healing nicely, but then I got grazed by a bullet in the same spot.”

“Did you deserve that one?”

“Yes I did.”

“Well, at least you’re honest.” Clarke releases her arm. “You got stabbed and then you got shot? All within the last time I saw you? Either you have the worst luck in the world or you’re an idiot who brought it on yourself.”

“I’m woman enough to admit it might be a little of both.”

Clarke sees the blood seeping through the material of Lexa’s shirt and sighs.

“Well, I supposed I should probably clean that up for you. Before I kill you for trespassing.”

“It would be the compassionate thing to do.”

“Are you always such a smartass?” Clarke leads Lexa around the corner into her house. Once inside, she motions for Lexa to have a seat. 

Lexa sits down on the couch while Clarke gathers some things from the back room. 

The last time she was here, Lexa was a little too preoccupied with foraging for food to really take in the place. She looks around and has to admit, it’s quite nice. The front window has a lovely view, the furnishings are nicer than most places she’s seen, and it’s quite cool in here even though the sun is blazing outside. 

“You have a nice place here.”

“Thanks,” Clarke responds as she comes out of the room with some basic medical supplies and sits next to Lexa. “I inherited the land from my father. After he died, my mother remarried and moved away. So I kept the property and now I do everything I can to maintain it.”

“It’s very peaceful here. I can see why you don’t mind living this far out of town.”

“I like my life here. It’s quiet, drama-free.” She takes Lexa’s hand and starts rolling up her sleeve. “And I intend on keeping it that way.”

“And I put a huge damper on that plan each time I show up, don’t I?” Lexa replies, watcher Clarke’s fingers gently tugging on the material of her sleeve.

“Commander Lexa of The Grounders? Trouble follows you wherever you go.”

Lexa’s eyes grow wide at this revelation.

“You know who I am? Ouch!” She hisses as Clarke dabs the wound with alcohol, a little too roughly.

“You think I don’t know who you are? I may live far away from civilization, but I’m not that out of the loop.”

She continues to clean the wound and Lexa tries to hide her wincing. 

“You knew who I was before? The first time I was here?

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Why would I? It’s not like that ego of yours needs any more boosting.” She puts the cloth and alcohol down and blows on the affected area to dry it.

Lexa closes her eyes and tries not to think about how good it feels to have Clarke’s breath on her. It’s hard to hide her reaction, though, since goosebumps begin to form along her arm. She swallows the lump in her throat.

Clarke pulls at Lexa’s sleeve. “I think you’ll need to take this off in order for me to decently bandage it.”

Lexa smirks at her. “Trying to get me out of my shirt?”

“Hardly. Just trying to bandage you properly so you don’t get an infection.”

Lexa starts to unbutton her shirt, trying not to notice Clarke watching her. She still has an undershirt on, but her arms are completely bare. She tries to get her mind off of Clarke’s hands dancing along her skin. Well, okay...not dancing exactly, more like holding her arm in place so she can wrap the bandage around it.

“So you take care of this place all by yourself?”

“I can’t afford ranch hands. It’s not an easy job and it costs money to keep it up, but I take pride in it. I don’t mind getting my hands dirty.” She grins at Lexa while gripping her arm just a little harder. 

“Well if you need help...I can do some work for you around here.”

“No, that’s really okay.”

“I insist. Look, I need a place to stay for a few days.”

“Because more people are after you?”

“Yeah.”

“And you think I’m willing to invite that kind of chaos into my home?”

Lexa sternly eyes Clarke. “I’m asking you nicely, Miss Griffin. You know who I am and what I’m capable of. I don’t have to ask you at all if I don’t want to.”

“You’re threatening me.”

Lexa hates that the words even came out of her mouth and she knows she would never actually hurt Clarke, but she can’t exactly show weakness in front of her. 

“I’m just saying that I’m trying to be respectful by asking you if I can stay. I’m in danger.”

“Probably because of something stupid you did..”

“Yes. Because of something stupid I did.” She sighs and decides to come clean. Clarke doesn’t seem like a snitch, so she takes a chance. “I robbed a bank.”

She doesn’t know why she feels shame as the words come out of her mouth. Usually she boasts about her misdeeds. She loves sharing stories of her dangerous adventures, but for some reason, she’s almost embarrassed to admit to Clarke what she did. 

“You’re kidding.”

“No.”

“In Arkadia?”

“How did you know it was Arkadia? News can’t have traveled that quickly.”

“It was only a matter of time before that place got robbed. The people working there aren’t the brightest.” Clarke ties off the end of the bandage and let’s her arm go. “Then again, people who rob banks aren’t exactly the brightest, either.”

The words cut Lexa and she automatically goes into defense mode.

“Well, now that you know what I did, that means you’re in on it. You’re harboring a fugitive and that can lead to jail for you if you rat me out.”

Clarke looks at her and shakes her head. “You’re despicable.”

“I’m also desperate. I don’t often admit that, but I am.” Lexa takes Clarke’s hand and looks her into her eyes. “I promise you, I won’t harm you. You and your property will not be in any danger. I’ll work my ass off around here to help you in any way I can. I’ll even pay you. I have money.”

“Money you stole.”

“Yes. But it’s still money. It can help you keep up this place.”

“I do fine on my own. I’m not destitute.”

Lexa runs her fingers along the bandage on her arm and a sense of familiarity comes over her. She smiles to herself, but Clarke notices.

“What are you smiling at?”

Lexa shrugs. “You remind me of someone”

Clarke takes this moment to get up and put away the first aid items. “A woman you seduced and left behind?”

Lexa rolls her eyes at the insulting, albeit warranted, comment. 

“No. Though, I may have tried to seduce her. It’s a bit foggy. But I didn’t succeed. You just have the same sort of demeanor as her. It’s someone I recently met.”

“You do realize that we recently met. Here. Just a few days ago. You sure you’re not thinking of me?”

“Yes, I’m aware. It was someone I met in town. In Polis.”

Clarke doesn’t say anything, but naturally pivots the conversation to her benefit. 

“Did you mean what you said? You’ll do some work around here if I let you hide out?”

“Absolutely. I know I may look small and I’ve only got one working arm, but I’m stronger than most people think.”

Clarke gives her a wicked smile. “I’ve got a few things you can do today. I can start you out easy, since you’re nursing a wounded arm.”

“I’m up to the task. Put me to work.”

\--

Three hours later, Lexa never thought she’d regret those words so immensely. Right now, Lexa is practically fighting for breath. She is sweatier than she’s ever been in her life and the sun isn’t going away any time soon. Chores like moving bales of hay, feeding the animals, and tilling the land so Clarke can plant whatever she intends to grow is not what Lexa was expecting to be doing. She’s not sure what Clarke was going to have her do. Maybe brush and clean the horses or herd some cattle. Maybe even some light housework. But this? This is pure torture. 

Clarke brings her a jug of water and Lexa gladly drinks it down, water spilling out over her chin. 

“Is this what you have to do here every day?”

“Almost every day, yes,” Clarke replies as she puts on gloves. 

“By yourself?”

“I told you, help is expensive.”

Lexa watches as Clarke picks up an axe and throws it over her shoulder as she walks over to a stack of small, round tree stumps. She starts splitting wood and sorting it in stacks by size. Lexa is mesmerized. It may have something to do with the way Clarke’s butt looks in those denim pants she’s wearing, with her hair swept back and the sweat off her brow glistening in the sun. Or it may just be that the strength Clarke has shown, both emotional and physical, that leaves Lexa truly fascinated by her. She suddenly realizes that she would much rather help chop wood than keep shoveling the maure she’s been doing for the last hour.

She drops the shovel and walks over to Clarke, startling her in the process. Clarke gasps. 

“Don’t ever sneak up on a woman with an ax! That’s an easy way to lose your head.”

Lexa ignores her warning and takes Clarke’s hands, pulling off her gloves. “How can someone who works so much with her hands have such soft fingers?”

Clarke takes the ax back.

“How can someone who does so well with women smell so bad?”

“Hey! It’s the manure! Maybe if you gave me a more pleasant smelling job…”

“You want to cook dinner?”

“I...don’t know how to cook.”

Clarke grins at her. “And that’s why you’re shoveling manure. Don’t worry. Tomorrow I’ll have you move on to cleaning out and organizing the barn.”

Lexa sighs. “Well, since it’ll be my home for the next few days, I suppose that’s not the worst idea.”

Clarke ponders Lexa’s words for a moment. “Well, maybe you’ve earned the right to sleep in the main house. On the couch.”

“Really?”

“Yes. But you should know I sleep with a gun under my pillow.”

“So do I.”

They share a smile that lasts a little longer than either of them intended it to. 

\--

The sun has nearly set and both girls are back in the house. Lexa takes off her boots and is very much looking forward to collapsing on Clarke’s couch.

“Wait!”

Lexa stops before she can land on the couch and pass out.

“What?”

“I wasn’t kidding earlier. You smell pretty ripe and I don’t want you stinking up my furniture.”

“Then what do you suppose I do? Sleep standing up?”

“Just go take a rest on the chair outside on the porch. I’ll run you a bath. Give me a few minutes.”

A bath sounds amazing to Lexa right now, so she doesn’t mind putting off taking a nap. The view from the front porch is actually pretty nice. It’s a peaceful evening and she can see Nightblood in the distance eating the oats and hay that Clarke brought him. She closes her eyes and enjoys the silence while Clarke runs her a bath.

Once it’s ready, Clarke calls her in. Lexa makes her way to the back room. There’s a nice, inviting bed, but Clarke is nowhere to be seen. 

“In here.”

Lexa follows her voice through another door. It’s small, but the candles keep it well-lit. There’s a tub along the wall with steam rising from the water. 

She looks at Clarke, confirming that all this is really for her. 

“Enjoy. If you need more hot water, here’s the kettle. I’m going to prepare dinner.”

Lexa watches her leave and spends a few moments hoping that she’ll actually come back, but when she starts to hear Clarke clanging around in the kitchen, she starts to remove her clothing until she’s completely naked. She lowers herself into the tub and moans perhaps a little too loudly at just how good it feels. It’s warm and soothing on her aching muscles. She sinks into the water and allows her entire body to relax. It’s nice to finally stop just for a moment and enjoy the simple things in life...like a warm bath. She thinks about Clarke and how she spends every day working to keep this place running. Whether it’s a point of pride or just a way to cling to the past and what her father left behind, Lexa respects her all the more for it. 

Lexa really never thought about how good she has it. Being a gunslinging outlaw was so much easier than manual labor. She sort of just fell into it when she met Anya. She was good at it and a natural leader. There wasn’t anything else Lexa felt destined to do. She never saw herself as the “bad guy” - just someone who tries to survive this world any way she can. She was handed a pretty bad deal when she was younger. Her father was a drunken gambler, but taught her everything he knew before he drank himself to death. Her mother died when she was five. She barely even remembers her now. If it wasn’t for Anya taking her in, there’s no telling where Lexa might have ended up. 

She stays in the tub until it gets too cold to be comfortable. She hears Clarke call out something, but doesn’t hear her, so she decides to get out of the tub.

Clarke asks through the door if Lexa wants to eat soon.

“Yes!” Lexa calls out as she grabs the towel near the tub. 

Before she can wrap it around her, the door opens and Clarke walks in, stopping immediately when she sees Lexa naked. They both freeze, unsure of what to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! Any guesses on where this might be going? ;)  
> As always, you can follow me on tumblr @sheis-me

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Tumblr @sheis-me


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